MAHIA BEACH, New Zealand, July 27 (UPI) -- A New Zealand dolphin who plays with swimmers stranded a woman on a buoy after he repeatedly refused to let her return to shore, authorities said.
The woman was rescued Sunday afternoon more than 400 yards from shore after people on the beach heard her screaming, The Gisborne Herald reported Monday.
"The reality set in that I was out in the ocean with a wild animal and no people around, so I felt quite vulnerable," the woman said.
The woman, whose name was not released, said she had been playing with Moko, a dolphin famous in Mahia Beach, when it started getting dark. But every time she turned for shore, Moko turned her back.
"When we got out there she had wrapped herself around the buoy and was absolutely freezing, she was freezing to death," Juanita Symes, a local bistro manager said.
The rescued woman, who had been swimming with Moko previously, said the dolphin was not being aggressive, it just didn't want to stop playing, Newstalk ZB reported Monday.
